The document discusses Abraham Lincoln's views and actions regarding slavery over the course of his life and political career. It describes how seeing slavery firsthand in New Orleans as a young man initially shaped his views, and how the Kansas-Nebraska Act later caused him to take an abolitionist stance. As a politician, Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery and believed in white supremacy. He became a leading abolitionist and fought against the pro-slavery Democrat Stephen Douglas in the 1858 Senate race, further establishing himself as an opponent of slavery.